Medication for Trauma Patients
Trauma Study Cases
A study conducted in United States revealed a great inequality in prevalence of mental health cases and utilization of mental treatment, where only 50% of the cases sought help. The study was conducted on a population with a history of traumatic events such as war, rape and violence. The people developed Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), wide range of psychiatric disorder and substance abuse (Sheerin, 2016). The study further indicated that a large number of patients with PTSD sought professional help while the rest resulted to self-medication.
Another study was conducted in Norway among a mid-aged population to look into the numbers of trauma patients seeking medical assistance and its relation to PTSD, drug use disorders (DUDs) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) Sheerin, 2016). The study showed that more patients with PTSD seeking medical help were more compared to those with AUD or DUD. Moreover, trauma patients with PTSD were more prone to substance abuse compared to those without. Furthermore, DUD and AUD patients preferred self-medication compared to seeking professional help. I think that article is very crucial since the findings are an eye opener to the exposure of traumatic events in the US and Norway, and their effects.
Interest on The Topic
I developed a great interest in this topic due to its rather saddening facts about the effects these patients suffering from the trauma. Most trauma patients end up suffering from related trauma disorder since most of them do not seek professional help (Robinson, 2020). Such disorders range from PTSD, AUD and DUD and only a big percentage of post-traumatic stress patients have developed an interest in seeking medical help. Moreover, the emotional, psychological and physical distress suffered by these patients alters their normal functionality in daily activities (Robinson, 2020). Therefore, I think that trauma incites great interest especially for someone concerned with social wellbeing.
Insights on Trauma Patients
The article reveals that most teenagers suffer more than one trauma especially in their youthful lives. However, a big number of them do not share their traumatic experiences with any of their friends, parents or medical professional. Such insight is very crucial since the trauma affects them for a long duration of time.
A study in Norway showed that only a small percentage of patients with PTSD sought medical help and most of these patients were aged meaning they had suffering from the disorder for a long period (Sheerin, 2016). A big percentage of trauma patients with AUD or DUD resulted to self-medication such as substance use. Additionally, substance use as a treatment to trauma has potential implication and patients who opt for this form may not realize its adverse effects. I feel that such insights are of great concern especially on trauma patient’s perception to professional help.
Conclusion
Most people encounter traumatizing experiences in the course of their lives and unfortunately many do not seek help about such events. Others see no need for it due to the long healing processes. The healing journey prevent most patients from seeking professional help when they experience trauma. For this trend to reduce, I think that a lot of sensitization needs to be done against self- medication for trauma since it has proved to cause implication in the long run. Moreover, traumatic cases should be handled with sensitivity to encourage trauma patients and also curb them before they get to debilitating levels. Such actions may help in encouraging trauma patients to seek professional help to reduce disorders associated with trauma experiences.
References
Christina Sheerin, E. C. (2016). A Population Based Study of Help-seeking and Self-medication Among Trauma Exposed Individuals. Pyschol Addict Behav, 30(7): 771-777.
Lawrence Robinson, M. S. (2020, February 13). Emotional and Psychological Trauma. Retrieved from HelpGuide: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/coping-with-emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm